Characterizing wetland dynamics: a post-classification change detection analysis of the East Kolkata Wetlands using open source satellite data |
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| Authors: | Seema Mehra Parihar Soma Sarkar Amitava Dutta Shilpi Sharma Tanushree Dutta |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Geography , Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi , New Delhi , 110007 , India smparihar@gmail.com;3. Department of Geography , Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi , New Delhi , 110007 , India;4. National Technical Research Organisation , Block-III, Old JNU Campus, New Delhi , 110067 , India;5. Department of Geography , Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi , New Delhi , 110007 , India;6. Department of Geography , University of Calcutta , Kolkata , India |
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| Abstract: | The East Kolkata Wetlands is a unique resource recovery system. The Ramsar Convention recognized it as a ‘Wetland of International Importance’ in August 2002. However, the long-term resource exploitation and land use changes in the dynamic ecosystem have resulted in non-linear environmental responses. This is an attempt using open source remote sensing datasets to capture the spatio-temporal transformation of the wetland resulting from various anthropogenic activities. Landsat MSS and TM imageries of 1973, 1980, 1989, 2001 and 2010 were classified using Maximum Likelihood Classifier to monitor the wetland change; however, to study wetland dynamics, the post-classification wetland change detection maps have been generated for two temporal phases, i.e. 1973–1989 and 1989–2010. This study finds that the area under wetlands has reduced comprehensively in the past 40 years due to the conversion of wetlands into various other uses such as urban expansion of the Kolkata metropolitan city. |
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| Keywords: | East Kolkata Wetlands open source data Maximum Likelihood Classifier change detection analysis |
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